


Speaking with Silence

by ethan_green



Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid, StarKid Productions RPF, The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: ASL, Cuties, Deaf Character, Deaf!Deb, Deaf!Ethan, Deb is poor and it’s a fact, Disabled Character, Ethan and Deb are siblings, M/M, Nonbinary Character, Teens in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:22:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22177006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ethan_green/pseuds/ethan_green
Summary: A bunch of oneshots with Deaf!Punk!Deb and Alice! Also, hoh!Paul
Relationships: Alice/Deb (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals), Lex Foster/Ethan Green
Comments: 5
Kudos: 75





	1. Chapter 1

Paul’s Monday had started pretty normal. Made himself a black coffee, watch a bit of TV, go to work. That normal-ness continued until Bill approached his desk, looking nervous.

“I need your help,” Bill told him, twisting his hands nervously. And sure, Bill always looked nervous, but especially so today.

“With what?”

“Alice is going on a date,” he said, sitting down and facing Paul so he could read his lips easier.

“That’s good news,” Paul nodded.

“Yeah. But they’re deaf.”

“Oh.”

“And I’m taking them to Boone Burger tomorrow. You know sign language, right?”

“Yeah.” He didn’t use it as much anymore, as the company had paid for a pair of high-tech hearing aids last year.

“I don’t, but I want to be able to talk to her. Can you come with us? Please? I’ll owe you one,” Bill pleaded.

Paul couldn’t say no to a face like that.

“Yeah, okay.”

The next evening, Paul changed out of his suit into a black t-shirt with jeans. Bill had briefed him on Alice’s date. Paul he met them before, briefly. They were one of Alice’s best friends. Their name was Deb. They were deaf-mute and vegetarian. They like dancing and lived in the poor side of town. Paul was terrified.

He went outside, where Alice and Bill were waiting in his minivan.

“Hey, Alice. You look nice,” Paul commented.

“Thanks, Uncle Paul,” the fourteen year old smiled brightly. Her dark curly hair was in twisted braids and she wore a pretty floral dress.

“Deb said they’d meet us there,” Bill said, beginning to drive.

“I’ve been learning sign language for a while,” Alice told Paul, “But I’m scared they’ll hate me because I’m not fluent.”

“That’s why I’m here,” he assured her, “And they’ll love you.”

They entered the restaurant to find it mostly empty. 

“There!” Alice pointed, running over to a kid wearing a leather jacket and an orange beanie. Paul recognized them. They looked more or less the same, but a bit older, and closer to Alice’s height.

“Dad, this is Deb. Deb, this is my dad, and my Uncle Paul. He’s deaf.”

“You know sign language?” Deb asked.

“Yeah,” Paul replied, talking out loud at the same time.

They sat down and ordered their drinks. 

“So, Deb,” Bill coughed, “What do you like to do?”

Paul signed along, speaking, and adding to the conversation from time to time.

Deb signed fast and neat, much better than Alice, but that didn’t stop them from smiling every time Alice’s hands moved.

“What do you want to do when you’re older?” Paul signed.

“I don’t know. I’d love to be an author,” they replied.

“Deb’s an amazing writer!” Alice exclaimed, crunching on a fry.

Deb’s smile lit up the room.

After their meal, the teenagers hopped in the backseat. Bill had insisted on giving Deb a ride home, and Deb had agreed, albeit reluctantly.

“You’re cute,” Alice signed carefully. Paul could tell she had practiced for hours.

Deb’s cheeks turned red. “No, you.”

The two giggled. Deb’s voice was awkward and a bit too loud, but Alice looked happier then Paul had seen since before the divorce.

A window of the house was covered with a plastic bag and tape, and there was a hole in the deck, but Alice happily walked Deb to the door anyway.

Paul and Bill watched them sign at each other before Deb quickly kissed her on the cheek before running inside.

Alice ran back to the van, squealing.

“See, Dad, they’re so sweet!” she grinned.

“I saw. They’re very nice,” Bill agreed, smiling at Paul. Paul squeezed his hand. 

“So, sign language lessons?”


	2. First meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice meets Deb for the first time

Alice was ten when she met Deb for the first time.

Her Uncle Paul was taking her to the park while her parents went to visit their lawyer. Paul was supposed to keep her distracted, so she forget about the pending divorce. It wasn’t working so far.

The park was small, as with everything in Hatchetfield and there were already four other kids there.

A kid was sitting on the bench, a pair of crutches next to them, reading a book. A woman, presumably their mother, sat next to him, yelling into her cellphone. A boy was chasing a girl around, shrieking with laughter when he caught her, before she started to chase him. Alice didn’t like loud people, and she didn’t have anything to read. Her eyes lit up as they landed on the swing set.

“Uncle Paul, push me!” she cried, running towards it.

He followed her, smiling. He turned up his hearing aids, relishing in the sound of her laughter as she flew higher and higher into the air.

A small tug on his shirt startled Paul. A small kid, about the same age as Alice but a bit shorter, stood there, with big blue eyes and a mess of curly hair. They were practically drowning in a big red flannel.

“Hello, there,” he smiled, “What can I do for you?”

Their hands spelled out words, looking nervous.

“Push me, please?”

“Are you deaf?” 

“Yes. My name is Deb,” they signed.

Alice hopped off the swing, smiling at Deb.

“I’m Alice! This is my Uncle Paul!”

Deb shrank back a bit, staring at her.

“I’m going to push Deb on the swing, okay?” Paul said, helping Deb onto the swing. Alice nodded, excited at the idea of having a new friend.

Giggles poured out of Deb’s mouth , their flannel flapping as they swung. Alice hopped on the swing next to them and kicked her legs. It took a few tries, but eventually she was in time with the smaller kid.

Paul’s arms ached, so he slowed them down before moving in front of he spoke.

“Where are your parents, Deb?”

Deb slowed herself down, looking at her hands.

“I don’t know. They were fighting. My big brother brought me here, but he’s with his girlfriend.” Deb pointed over to a boy, maybe fourteen, who was sitting with a girl.

“Oh. Would you and him like to get some ice cream with us?”

Deb nodded, grinning, running off to the boy and dragging him back, the girl watching in amusement.

“This is Ethan, my big brother!” Deb signed. Ethan stared at Paul's lips.

“Hello, Ethan,” Paul nodded, keeping Alice close to him. The teen had a black eye and a split lip. “I’m Paul. We were wondering if Deb would like to join us for an ice cream?”

“Yeah, okay,” he mumbled with a thick deaf accent, hands moving quickly, almost too quick for Paul to keep up. “Debbie, me and Lex will with Hannah in the sandbox.”

“Okay!” Deb squeezed their brother around his waist, a hug which he returned before walking off to join his girlfriend.

Alice grinned at Deb, showing off her new doll from her backpack. She didn’t know much sign language, but Deb didn’t seem to mind, watching Alice’s lips to keep up.

It was almost an hour later when Ethan finally came back to retrieve Deb, who was happily playing Barbie with Alice, Paul only jumping in to interpret when needed.

“Thanks for looking out for her, mister,” he said, grabbing Deb’s hand.

“Oh, it was no trouble,” Paul smiled, noting how protective Ethan seemed to be, green eyes darting across Deb’s body to check for injuries.

“Bye Alice!” Deb signed.

“Bye Deb!” Alice replied, hands shaky as they formed the unfamiliar shapes.

As Paul and Alice began to walk home, the girl couldn’t stop smiling.


End file.
